Refrigerating apparatus



Jan. 14, 1941. C. R CARNEY 2,228,340

, REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 2l, 1938 INVENTOR. Currmrp `7?.' CflRNgY ,Bf Wfam ATTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 14, 1941 PATENT 'oFElcE 2,228,340 REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Clifford R. Carney, Miami, Fla., assignor to Nash- Kelvinator Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Maryland Application Septemberzl, 1938, Serial No. 230,943

1 Claim.

The present invention relates to refrigerating apparatus and more particularly to freezing trays for use in connection with such apparatus.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved ice tray including a pair of removable grids which are also movable relatively to each other.

It is another object of the present invention to .provide a tray with a grid assembly constructed of two sections whereby the operation of a lever will progressively affect the sections to break the cubes frozen therein loose from the tray.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a structure that is economical of manu- 'facture, durable in structure, highly efficient in use, and one having a minimum number of parts.

The invention.itse1f, however, both as to its organization and its method of operation together with additional objects and advantages 2 thereof, will best be understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary crossfsectional view of a refrigerator illustrating features of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan vievt7 of the invention;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

3 Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially on line 4-4 of Fig. 2-;

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially on line 5-5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken substan-` tially on line 6,-6 of Fig. 3.

In the drawing, I have shown a refrigerator I9 provided within its compartment I2 with an evaporator I4 having passages wherein is admitted volatile refrigerant for effecting and maintaining .a proper temperature within the compartment. The refrigerant is withdrawn, condensed and returned -to the evaporator by means of a suitable compressor and condenser apparatus (not shown). The evaporator has provisions for 5 the reception of trays |6`for freezing of the contents therein.

The tray I6 is subdivided into a plurality of small chambers I8 by a grid assembly composed of sections 2| and 22. The grid section 2| com- 50 prises a longitudinally extending wall 24 having aflixed thereto laterally extending side walls 25. The grid section 22 is similarly formed of a longitudinally extending wall 29 having laterally extending walls 30. The walls 24 and 29 are set spatially apart and parallel to each other with (Cl. (i2-108.5)

their ends secured together by rivets 32 which are carried by wall 29 and project through slots 33 of wall 24 allowing for movement of each grid section relative to the other.

A handle or lever 35 is provided with' an exten- 5 sion 36 projecting downwardly within the spatial distance formed between the parallel walls 24 and 29. Secured in, andextending outwardly from' one side of the extension 36 is a stud 31 adapted for projecting through the inclined slot 39 formed o in wall 29. A second stud 40 is fxedly secured above the stud 31 in the extension 36 to pro"' ject outwardly from the opposite side to be journaled in the wall 24.

The slot 39 is so cut in the wall 29 as to be a l chord for an arc that would be subscribed by the stud 31 were it to travel freely about the axis of the journaled stud 40. By this arrangement and construction as the handle 35 is rocked upwardly on the axis of stud 40, the stud 31 20 will ride up the inclined or chordal slot 33 forcing the stud 4D to move outwardly.' 'I'hat is, by the perpendicular guidance of the rivet in slots 33 the stud 40 will force the grid assembly to move upwardly. The contents frozen within 25 this section will be by this vertical movement loosened and freed from its frozen bondage with the tray I6. Further rocking of the handle Will bring the stud 31 to the end of slot 39, whereupon it becomes the pivoting axis for the handle 30 35 moving thestud 40 with its associated grid assembly 2| downwardlyl to again rest upon the trays bottom. Continuing the swing ofthe handle 35 will shift the pivoting axisback to stud 4|), forcing stud 31 in its arcuate travel about 35 stud `4|) to carry the grid section 22 upwardly in a vertical movement also guided by the rivets 32 in slots 33, and thus eifecting a similar releasement of the contents frozen in section 22 to be loosened and `freed from the tray I6. The section 22 is returned to its normal or horizontal position by the return travel of the handle 35.

To easily break the adhesion of the frozen cubes from the surfaces of the grids, the assembly ls made of thin fiexible stock allowing for the longitudinal walls 24 and 29 to be arcuately bent by movement of handle 35, thus expanding the dimensional width between side walls 25 or 30, as determined by direction of flexing walls 24 and 29, allowing the cubes to drop out. The spatial distance between the walls 24 and 29 will allow this flexing movement, with the ends of the walls secured together. v 1 l While I have described the preferred form of my invention I do not wish to limit myself to the u self of such variations and modiiications as may come within the scope of the appended claim.

I claim: v

In a freezing apparatus for liquids, the combination oaJ tray for making ice cubes, a grid including two` sections within the tray and adapted to form a plurality of ice cube molds, and

. precise details as shown, but wish to avail my- 

